By Tony Williams
In Matthew 4:1-10, we can learn some lessons from our Lord while He was being tempted by Satan:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Why would the devil ask Jesus to make bread? He was very hungry. He had been fasting for 40 days and had need for the bread. If he didn’t eat he would perish. However, the story Jesus teaches here is that we are to put spiritual things above physical things. The need for physical things is important, but secondary. Our primary need is for God, for spiritual things. How did Jesus answer Satan? He quoted scripture: It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” He was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. Satan then takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple tempting him to cast himself down if he indeed is the Son of God (Matthew 4:5). The Devil quotes scripture to him, “He shall give His angels charge over you, and, In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.” He quoted this from Psalms 91:11-12 and he quoted it as accurately as any apostle would have. He has been deceiving us this way ever since. As James Watkins has said, the Devil would rather use the Bible to mislead you than any other means.
In I John 4:1 we are warned that many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 also warns: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” Jesus again used scripture to counteract the Devil.
Satan and his ministers are at work trying to mislead us. We should follow the pattern of Jesus and use God’s word against the Devil. We are to be diligent in our battle with him by following Paul’s admonition: “Study to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).